NONE
Research and development of this invention and Application have not been federally sponsored, and no rights are given under any Federal program.
NOT APPLICABLE
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the use of utility carts, in general, and to the utilization of such carts for transporting heavy loads to and from a vehicle cargo areaxe2x80x94oftentimes of a type to be displayed for sale.
2. Description of the Related Art
As will become clear from the following description, the present invention results from a desire to be able to transfer heavy or multiple objects to and from the cargo area or rear of a sport utility vehicle, a minivan or a pick-up truck in a manner which avoids heavy lifting, and/or the disassembly of the objects before transfer. Manufacturers"" representatives and sales engineers, for example, oftentimes are called upon to bring computers, keyboards, monitors, projectors and others of their wares, to sales presentationsxe2x80x94where the equipments are unloaded from their vehicle""s cargo area onto a utility cart, brought to the meeting, and then taken off the cart for storage back in the cargo area of the vehicle after the presentation is completed; as will be appreciated, many of these equipments are heavy and/or bulky, and not otherwise easy to transport about. The same will be understood to be the case as well for just simply transporting groceries from a supermarket to its parking lot for loading, or for the similar purchase and loading of television sets, air-conditioners, microwaves and like appliances purchased from department stores. And, as will be understood, the problem in lifting heavy or bulky loads into the cargo area of one""s vehicle becomes all the more of a chore with the increasing advent of sport utility vehicles built higher off the ground. As a result, the ability to transfer these types of loads into, and then out from the rear cargo area of the vehicle becomes all the more difficult.
Utility carts for transporting equipment about are, of course, known:
a. In U.S. Pat. No. 1,640,263, for example, a two cart combination is disclosed for transporting baggage, mail and other merchandise to a car or truck. The larger cart is height adjustable so that the smaller cart aligns with, and can roll off the larger cart into the rear of the vehicle. In addition to the front and rear wheels, a pair of large central wheels are present which permit the easy rotation of the cart about its axis;
b. U.S. Pat. No. 2,650,731 sets out a particular design for a transportation cart, utilizable for mail baggage loading, specifically into trains;
c. U.S. Pat. No. 3,021,795, on the other hand, adds an ability for the cart to act as a storage system, such as for food trays as seen in airplane usage;
d. U.S. Pat. No. 3,118,553 attempts to go further by adding an ordinary shopping cart to the carrying cage portion of a cart so that a user does not have to unload and reload the shopping bags in bringing them home, while at the same time keeping the parcels organized during their transportation;
e. U.S. Pat. No. 3,305,117 describes a double-hand truck comprised of an upper and lower rolling platform which are separable when the items are placed in their desired location, in order that the parcels can still be moved without the need to have a large truck available so to do;
f. U.S. Pat. No. 3,869,052 goes further in describing a cart for loading oven components, whereby a tray having rollers on its bottom is loaded with items to be cooked, and then the tray itself is rolled into the open oven;
g. U.S. Pat. No. 4,288,195 describes a rolling lift-jack type assembly which enables large hand trucks to be lifted and rolled into the back of a truck;
h. U.S. Pat. No. 4,604,022 illustrates a trunk loading device for business equipment, including a carrying cart with wheels, a top cart with wheels and a mating trunk mechanism to which the tray cart is rolled onto; and
i. U.S. Pat. No. 5,503,424 shows a design of a collapsible shopping cart which collapses for easy storage in the rear of a vehicle, and which has wheels which permit it to be moved about while in its collapsed state.
However, by and large, the utility carts of these prior art designs are quite bulky, in making it difficult for a user not only to transfer the load to and from the vehicle cargo area, but to store the utility cart itself. Even where this might be able to be done, furthermore, provision is absent to prevent the carts and the equipment they carry from being tossed or thrown about as the vehicle is being driven from place-to-place. Moreover, one need only have to spend a few minutes standing in a parking lot to observe how items being transported by these carts shift about just in being rolled to the vehicle, and how oftentimes the user has to stop the cart to center the items once again, if not to lift them back up from the ground onto which they have fallen. Even putting aside the weight and bulkiness of the items being loaded into the cargo area of the vehicle, the problems arise anew once the vehicle arrives back home, where the process of removing, lifting, and carrying begins again. Those utility carts described in the prior art and/or generally available do not provide a collapsible utility cart which allows a user to efficiently transfer a load both into, and out from, the vehicle""s cargo area without having to lift the load and secure it in place. Nor do such carts provide any degree of protection to the floor of the cargo area from the contents of the load being carried. If used by a manufacturer""s representative for presentation at a sales show, for example, such utility carts also fail to allow for a ready display of the contents, along with product advertising where desired.
As will be seen from the following description, the utility cart of the invention comprises a dolly having a generally planar top surface, an underside and a first plurality of wheels at the underside for rolling the dolly about. A tray having a generally planar top surface is also included, having an underside and a second plurality of wheels at such underside for rolling the tray about as well. In a preferred embodiment, a plurality of legs are employed which, when coupled between the top surface of the dolly and the underside of the tray form a 2-shelf movable utility cart of the dolly and tray operating together, and such that when detached therefrom, allows the dolly and tray to be independently movable. To enable the utility cart to be loaded into, and unloaded from, a motor vehicle, the tray is of a width and depth to slide into the cargo area of a sport utility vehicle or minivan, for example, when the plurality of legs are detached. Such legs are of a first length when the combination is utilized with the cargo area of a sport utility vehicle, which will be seen to be greater than a second length when the combination is utilized in loading and unloading the cargo area of a minivan. In accomplishing this, the legs are adjustable in length in controlling the separation between the dolly and the tray when coupled together, as where the legs are telescopically extendible. In this manner, a 2-shelf movable utility cart is formed.
In accordance with the invention, the legs, when detached, may be stored at the underside of either the dolly or the tray, as by a plurality of clamps. When forming the utility cart for use, the legs include a first end which fits within a socket in the top surface of the dolly, and a second end which slides within a track in the underside of the tray in coupling the combination together. Such second end of the legs may include a transfer ball which slides within the tray track so as to be captured within a groove at a remote end of the track. Once in place, the transfer balls are captured within the grooves by an appropriate locking arrangement. To ease the loading and unloading of the tray into the cargo area of the motor vehicle, a pair of handles are provided on opposite sides of the tray, substantially flush therewith. Such handles, however, are adjustable outwardly from, and inwardly toward, the tray in maneuvering the tray about, and in inserting the tray into the cargo area to obtain maximum clearance from its closure lid. Once inserted, the handles are tied-down within the cargo area to secure the tray against movement as the vehicle proceeds in motion.
Various attachments and accessories are employable with the cart, according to the invention, to enhance its usefulness in product display and presentation. For example, a lip can be included, extending upwardly from edges defining the generally planar top surface of the tray to prevent any articles thereon from falling to the ground. Extensions can be detachably coupled to the tray for increasing its ability to carry and display items, and a variety of caster wheels can be employed to ease the cart""s maneuverability. In a preferred embodiment, swivel caster wheels are utilized at the underside of the dolly, while rigid caster wheels are employed at the underside of the tray. Such wheels may be xe2x80x9ccoloredxe2x80x9d to enhance appearancexe2x80x94although experience has shown that such xe2x80x9ccolorizationxe2x80x9d is of a more meaningful effect when utilized only for the swivel caster wheels, rather than for the rigid caster wheels. Testing has shown that a lightweight durable aluminum is highly desirable for the legs which couple the dolly and tray together; and when fabricated to support a weight upwards of 275 pounds, the cart of the invention is particularly useful not only as a product display cart, but as a utility cart also usable in transporting heavy items (such as appliances) from a storage area to a counter areaxe2x80x94or, further, out to a vehicle in a parking lot.